The Themes Of Motivation In Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale

Superior Essays
The psychological impulse of motivation can cause one to overcome painful sacrifices and attain a renewed sense of aspiration.
Likewise, in Kristin Hannah’s captivating novel The Nightingale, this topic is explored through the understanding of how motivation directs an individual’s course of action. The novel is about two sisters struggling to survive during World War II, with one sister motivated to fight for France, and the other driven to keep her family safe and secure while they both find out who they are in the process. The female protagonist, Vianne, suffers extreme pain while enduring difficult actions she is forced into in order to ensure the safety of children. Through following her motivation to reach the safety of others, she risks
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Hannah emphasized on the dynamic protagonist’s characterization of Vianne, which allows the reader to realize how individuals driven by the motivation to ensure safety for their loved ones may need to endure difficult courses of action, leading to extreme hardships; ultimately become a more stronger individual in the process and have a positive impact on those around that person. In the depths of fear or desire, motivation can drive one into their choice of actions, which is the initial depiction of Vianne in the novel by displaying her devoted motivation to keep children safe and secure. This is revealed in the exposition of the novel when Vianne “shooed [Sophie] away” from her and Antoine’s discussion about the war signifying her desire to seclude her children from the burdens of war and care for them. By “shoo[ing]” Sophie, it shows that Vianne does not want Sophie to hear even the mentioning or converse regarding the war by shielding Sophie away. Also, throughout the novel, Vianne had continuously requested Sophie “to go upstairs, to her bedroom,” whenever in the face of a possible threat. Vianne is directly motivated to send Sophie to her bedroom because it symbolizes safety and protection from …show more content…
Her ability to withstand these brutalities ultimately makes her and those around her stronger. This is shown when Mother Superior describes her as being a “leader.” Hannah’s purpose in the diction of “leader” serves to show the women in World War II, who although may not have been recognized as much as the male soldiers, play an enormous role in saving many lives. Vianne’s new title remarked her as a symbol for the brave and powerful women whom saved one or countless lives through their motivation to seek safety for people. Vianne is no longer the observant woman in the beginning of the novel sheltering at the mention of war sicne the war shaped her to become an active leader who now “knew about survival.” This signifies that through her pain and the dangerous actions she undertook, she and those around her became stronger. Without her motivation to endure the brutal actions she followed, she would not have been able to become a survivor, and is now seen in a new light by being strong and able to withstand harships. Her own confidence is evident when she states that she is her “own Nightingale,” which can represent the fight of one’s soul and love. By being a survivor of this fight against the multiple external and internal wars she had faced during her difficult time by pursuing her motivation, she

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